SERVIZIO RICERCA Selection Announcement for Young Scholars to award a Senior Research Grants and to support innovative, excellent research put forward by young people not employed in the University of Padova Science Area no. "XXX" HAVING REGARD TO Law no. 168 dated 9 May 1989; THE RECTOR HAVING REGARD TO the Statute of the University of Padova, issued with Rector s Decree no. 3276/2011 dated 16 December 2011; HAVING REGARD TO Art. 22 of Law no. 240 dated 30 December 2010, which envisages the awarding of research grants in accordance with budget availability; HAVING REGARD TO the decision by University Board of Governors no. 385 dated 16 december 2013;. HAVING REGARD TO the current Regulations Governing Research Grant Awards ; HAVING REGARD TO Italian Legislative Decree DL no. 17 dated 9 January 2008, pertaining to the procedure for the admission of third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research; HAVING REGARD TO Ministerial Decree no. 102 dated 9 March 2011, which establishes the minimum annual gross amount of research grants, published in accordance with Art. 22 of Law no. 240 dated 30 December 2010; HAVING REGARD TO the decision by the Academic Senate no. 100 dated 20 June 2011 to establish the maximum amount of research grants; HAVING REGARD TO the decision by the Academic Senate dated 4 March 2014 HAVING REGARD TO the decision by the University Board of Governors dated 17 March 2014; HAVING REGARD TO Italian Presidential Decree D.P.R no. 62 dated 16 April 2013, Regulations governing code of conduct for civil servants in accordance with Art. 54 of Law no. 165 dated 30 March 2001, which has extended, where relevant, the obligations under the code of conduct for collaborators and consultants with any type of contract or role; HAVING REGARD TO Legislative Decree DL no. 82 dated 7 March 2005, Digital Administration Code, plus subsequent amendments and integrations; HAVING REGARD TO the decision by the Academic Senate dated 24 February 2015; HAVING REGARD TO the decision by the Board of Governors dated 16 March 2015; HAVING REGARD TO Law no. 11 dated 27 February 2015, converted into law with amendments of Decree-Law No. 192 dated 31 December 2014, containing provisions on the extensions of deadlines provided for by law, extending the duration of the working relations established in accordance with Art. 22, Paragraph 3 of Law No. 240 dated 30 December 2010 by two years. IT BEING DEEMED EXPEDIENT to issue a Selection Announcement for Young Scholars to award research grants and support innovative and excellent research put forward by young people not employed in the University s Science Area no. AREA/S. HEREBY DECREES Art. 1 - Purpose A selection announcement is to be published to award no. «Proposta_ripartizione_Senior_2011_inter» research grants in scientific areas of interest to the University Science Area no. «AREE». The two-year Research Grants for a gross annual amount of 21,304 Euros are published in accordance with Title IV (Senior Research Grants) of the current Regulations Governing Research Grant Awards and awarded for 1
independent research projects to be conducted at the University Department that the candidate elects as the Research Base (hereunder Research Base ). Art. 2 - Admissions Requirements Eligibility for this selection announcement is governed by the following requirements: 1) Candidates must have a PhD from an Italian university or an equivalent foreign qualification, 2) Documented post-phd research conducted during employment/under contract (min. 12 months) in the pertinent field of research. The post-phd research will have been carried in accordance with Art. 18 Paragraph 5 of Law 240/2010, funded by a scholarship or conducted during employment/under contract, or conducted in an equivalent position in Italy or abroad. In accordance with Art. 23 of Law 240/2010, contracts for teaching activities must be supported by a declaration from the relevant institution stating the scholar s role on any research project and its duration. Should the candidate s post-phd research activity have been conducted outside a University setting, then it must be documented by the contract signed with the entity in question. The aforesaid qualifications must have been awarded by the selection announcement deadline. Should the candidate s degree or PhD have been awarded abroad, then it must have been conducted over a minimum of three years and, for the sole purposes of this selection procedure, must be declared to be the equivalent of an Italian PhD by a Selection Committee appointed in accordance with Art. 4 hereunder. Similarly, should the research activity have been conducted in a position other than those established in Art. 18, Paragraph 5 of Law 240/2010, for the sole purposes of this selection procedure, it must be declared equivalent by a Selection Committee appointed in accordance with Art. 4 hereunder. Grant Holders may not be permanent employees of the following: universities, institutes and public research and experiment organisations, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Italian Space Agency (ASI), European University Institute, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Scuola Superiore di studi universitari e di perfezionamento di Pisa, Scuola internazionale superiore di studi avanzati di Trieste, and any other Italian post-graduate schools that provide the equivalent of PhD courses. Grant Holders are not allowed to enrol in degree courses, specialisation degrees (specialistica/magistrale), funded PhDs or medical specialisations in Italy or abroad. Should the winner be an employee of the Public Administration, then he or she must be placed on unpaid leave for the entire duration of this research grant. Research Grants may not be awarded to anyone who is related to or has an affinity with, up to and including the fourth degree of kinship, a professor working at the Department elected as "Research Base", or the Rector, Director General, or a member of the University Board of Governors. All of the candidates shall be admitted to the selection procedure with reserve. The University of Padova may at any moment exclude candidates for not having the aforementioned requisites by reasoned order. Should a candidate be excluded for the aforementioned reasons, then he/she shall be informed thereof by means of a registered letter with receipt sent to the address given on the candidate's application form. The University of Padova may at any moment exclude candidates by a Rector s reasoned order for not having the aforementioned requisites. Should a candidate be excluded for the aforementioned reasons, then he/she shall be informed thereof by means of certified electronic mail (PEC) or a registered letter with receipt sent to the address given on the candidate's application form. Candidates must be in a position to sign a 24 months contract pursuant to the conditions established in Art. 5 hereunder. Should this not be possible, the winner shall forfeit the right to the research grant. Art. 3 Application The application for funding may only be submitted by completing the online procedure available at https://loginmiur.cineca.it/ from 1 pm of 20 April 2015 no later than 1 pm Italian time on 13 May 2015. Candidates must state the following information on the application form in accordance with Art. 46 and 47 of Italian Presidential Decree DPR 445/2000 and do so under their own liability: 1) surname and name; 2
2) Italian tax payer's code (codice fiscale); 3) date and place of birth 4) fixed address; 5) domicile address; 6) telephone number and email; certified electronic mail (PEC), if available; 7) nationality; 8) that they hold a PhD or equivalent foreign qualification awarded by a foreign institution; 9) that they have conducted documented post-phd research during employment/under contract for at least 12 months by the deadline of this selection announcement; 10) that they are not employees at the universities or other organisations listed in Art. 2 above; 11) and that they are not related to, or do not have an affinity with, up to and including the fourth degree of kinship, a professor working at the Department elected as the Research Base, or to the Rector, Director General, or a member of the University Board of Governors. The application must also include: 1) a CV detailing the candidate s academic and research background, including evidence of documented post- PhD research activities pertaining to the scientific areas of the project carried out in accordance with Art. 18, Paragraph 5 of Law 240/2010, research funded by a scholarship or conducted during employment/under contract, or research conducted in an equivalent position in Italy or abroad. In accordance with Art. 23 of Law 240/2010, contracts for teaching activities must be supported by a declaration from the relevant institution stating the scholar s role on any research project and its duration. 2) the names of two university lecturers or researchers, or research institutes that are experts in the research discipline from outside the University of Padova. These referees will have been sent an email inviting them to complete an online letter of presentation on the website to be submitted by 19 May 2015. Letters submitted after this date or using other methods than the one advised here will not be considered. 3) a list of academic publications and qualifications deemed useful for the selection announcement. Candidates should attach a copy of relevant documents in.pdf format. 4) a research proposal in English, which must include: a. project title; b. summary/abstract (max. 4,000 characters); c. complete description of the candidate's proposed research, the Department proposed as Research Base, as well as the technical support and infrastructure deemed necessary to conduct it (max. 16,000 characters); d. the name of a university lecturer or researcher recommended as the project s contact and who is affiliated with the department proposed as the Research Base. 5) pdf copy of an identity document. The online application must be completed by 1pm on 13 May 2015, otherwise the application shall be declared void. Candidates can only submit one application for this selection announcement. All of the information regarding this selection announcement shall be published on the Official University Register: (http://protocollo.unipd.it/albo/viewer) and the University s website: (http://www.unipd.it/ricerca/finanziamenti/assegni/assegni-di-ricerca-senior). Once this information has been published, candidates are deemed to have been notified thereof. Art. 4 Selection Procedure The Department elected as Research Base shall within 15 days of the selection announcement deadline: a. issue a Nihil Obstat approving the candidate's research and declare the available resources in terms of technical support and infrastructure available for the project; b.appoint a Research Supervisor, taking into consideration any candidate preference. Should the Nihil Obstat not be granted, then the candidate shall be automatically excluded from the selection procedure. 3
Applications receiving a Nihil Obstat shall be discussed by a Selection Committee nominated by a Science Area Commission, on consulting the Departments, and appointed by the Rector. The Committee shall comprise three or five members experts in the scientific areas of interest to the University of Padova. Department, Directors, Research Supervisors and Referees (suggested or appointed) may not sit on the Committee. The Committee shall evaluate the applications with particular emphasis on the experience in the national and international context, the time frame of productivity and continuity of scientific activity (with the exception of statutory maternity/paternity leave) particularly on basis of: a) academic and research CV, qualifications and letters of presentation (up to 30 points) b) academic publications (up to 40 points) c) research proposal, possibly with an interview on the proposal itself and on any previous research experience (up to 30 points). The final score for each item shall be the average of the scores awarded by each Committee Member. The date for any interview shall be set during a preliminary Selection Committee meeting. Candidates shall be notified of the date by publication, with at least 15 days notice, on the Official University Register: (http://protocollo.unipd.it/albo/viewer) and website: (http://www.unipd.it/ricerca/finanziamenti/assegni/assegni-di-ricercasenior). Publication of this date shall be considered an official convocation and candidates shall not receive any correspondence to their domicile address. Candidates shall be admitted to the interview on presentation of a valid identity document. At the end of the evaluation, the Selection Committee shall draw up a provisional ranking based on the total of the scores the candidates were awarded for each category. To be included in the ranking, candidates must be awarded a minimum overall score of 70 points. In the event of a tie, preference will be given to the younger candidate. The selection report and the provisional ranking shall be officially approved by a Rector's Decree and then published on the Official University Register at http://protocollo.unipd.it/albo/viewer and the University website at http://www.unipd.it/ricerca/finanziamenti/assegni/assegni-di-ricerca-senior. Once this information has been published, candidates are deemed to have been notified thereof. The selection process must be completed within 30 September 2015. Art. 5 - Informing the Winners and Entering into the Agreement Senior Research Grants are awarded with bespoke Research Agreements entered into with the Research Base. The Research Base shall inform the selection announcement winner of the date by which he/she must sign the Grant Holder Agreement. Should the agreement not be signed by this date, it shall be declared null and void. The signature date may be no later than 31 December 2015 under any circumstances. Should the agreement not be entered into by this date, the winner shall forfeit the right to the research grant. Research activity may not be commenced before the winner has entered into the agreement and no later than six months after it was signed. In accordance with Art. 22 Paragraph 2 of Law no. 240 dated 30 December 2010, the Grant Holder may not be a permanent employee at the following universities, institutes and public research and experiment organisations: the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and other Institutions that provide scientific diplomas equivalent of doctoral researcher courses in accordance with Art. 74, fourth paragraph of Presidential Decree no. 382 dated 11 July 1980. Should the winner be an employee of a Public Administration not mentioned above, then he or she must be placed on unpaid leave for the entire duration of this research grant from the date that the research starts. Grant Holders are not allowed to enrol in degree courses, laurea specialistica or magistrale courses, funded PhDs or medical specialisations in Italy or abroad. Grant Holders are not allowed to enrol in degree courses, laurea specialistica or magistrale courses, funded PhDs or medical specialisations in Italy or abroad. 4
Research grants cannot be awarded to spouses of or those related or have an affinity to, up to and including the fourth degree of kinship, a professor or researcher working in the Department or Centre where the research is based, or to the Rector, Director General, or a member of the University's Administrative Board; The overall duration of the research grant agreements may not exceed a period of 6 years. This excludes any period during which the Grant Holder was benefiting from the research grant and also studying for a PhD, up to the maximum legal duration thereof. The candidate must enter into agreement for the duration of the research period as stated in the selection announcement, under penalty of exclusion. Should the winner not commence research or waiver the grant, then the second-placed candidate in the ranking shall be declared the winner within 30 days of the grant being initially awarded. The 30 days shall commence from the date that the winner decides not to commence research or to waiver the grant. Winning a place in the provisional ranking by means of a comparative evaluation does not entitle a candidate to a place in future selection announcements. The awarding of the Research Grant does not constitute subordinate employment, nor does it entitle the Grant Holder to a permanent position at the University. Grants shall be paid in deferred monthly instalments. Art. 6 - Grant Holder s Activity The Senior Grant Holder's activity, established by a personal agreement, shall be conducted at a pre-elected Research Base. The Research Supervisor appointed in accordance with Art. 4 shall report to the Department Board on how the research is progressing. In the case where it may be necessary to conduct research outside the University of Padova, the Grant Holder shall apply to the Director of the Research Base for authorisation beforehand. Senior Grant Holders shall conduct their research at the Research Base in accordance with Title IV - Contractual Relations - of the current Regulations Governing Research Grant Awards" and The University of Padova s Code of Conduct. Art. 7 - Tax, Social Security and Insurance The Research Grants are tax-free and are governed for tax purposes by Art. 4 of Law 476 dated 13 August 1984, plus subsequent amendments and integrations, and for social security purposes by Art. 2, paragraphs 26 and following, of Law no. 335 dated 8 August 1995, plus subsequent amendments and integrations. The University shall provide insurance coverage for accidents and civil liability in accordance with the conditions stated in the policies taken out by the University. Should the Grant Holder be sent on leave for official university business, then the costs shall be sustained by the host organization or by the Grant Holder from his/her research funds, in accordance with the University Regulations Governing Leave for Official University Business. Art. 8 - Verifying the Activity of the Senior Grant Holder At the end of the first year of research, the Grant Holder shall present the Department Director with a report that includes a statement of the activity he/she has conducted, the results obtained and the costs sustained. This report shall be accompanied by the Supervisor's assessment and be evaluated by the Research Base Board. Should the Grant Holder's activity not pass the evaluation, then the University shall terminate the agreement without any obligation of prior notice. This final report shall be accompanied by an assessment by the Supervisor and by the Department Board. It shall then be sent to the Research Service of the University's central administration and evaluated by the competent office. Art. 9- Final Provisions For anything not specified in this selection announcement, see Art. 22 of Law no. 240 dated 30 December 2010 and the University of Padova's current Regulations Governing Research Grant Awards and subsequent amendments and integrations, and the University Research Funding Plan and its Regulation for Administration, Finance and Accounting, with particular reference to Title X Departments/Centres and Autonomous Management. The University Administration reserves the right to verify a candidate s self-certifications and statutory declaration, in accordance with Italian Presidential Decree DPR 445/2000, at any stage of the procedure. If the aforementioned 5
statements are found to be false, then the declarer shall forfeit any benefits that he/she may have gained from the false statements. Any sanctions envisaged by the Italian criminal code or by special laws shall be governed by Art. 75 and 76 of Italian Presidential Decree DPR no. 445/2000. Art. 10- Handling Personal Data In accordance with Legislative Decree no. 196 dated 30 June 2003, it is hereby stated that any data provided, in print or electronic format, shall be handled by CINECA, Consorzio Interuniversitario - only for the purposes of this announcement and the entering into and managing of the relationship with the University. The data obtained for this selection process may be communicated in accordance with current laws and regulations to other services and bodies of the University of Padova within the quantities and limits necessary to carry out their work. Interested parties may exercise their rights at the University of Padova in accordance with Art. 7 of Legislative Decree no. 196/2003, including their right to access their data. Data will be processed by the University of Padova in accordance with Law no. 241 dated 7 August 1990. The person responsible for the selection process is Dr Andrea Berti, Head of International Relations, Research and Technology Transfer Office. Padova, 6